Fan-Favorite ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Addresses Season 35 Return Speculation

Mark Ballas has been a pro on 21 seasons of Dancing with the Stars, winning three Mirrorball Trophies along the way. Ahead of casting announcements for Season 35, which will air in the fall, DWTS fans are wondering whether Ballas will be back for another round of the competition, or if he’s ready to move on.

Ballas has taken a few seasons off from Dancing with the Stars over the years, once suggesting he had fully retired as a pro. However, he has surprised fans more than once before by returning.

The entertainer recently talked to Us Weekly about the possibility of returning for Season 35. While he couldn’t give a definitive “yes” on returning, he also didn’t provide a definitive “no.”

He told Us Weekly, “Oh, I’m open.”

Ballas continued, “I mean, it just depends. The show has their system that they go through, and they’re deeply in the casting process right now. They just announced we’re getting a two-day premiere. We haven’t had that in a long time, so that’s pretty exciting. But yeah, we’ll see.”

Currently, Ballas is appearing as one of the judges on Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro. He told Us Weekly he has really enjoyed the judging opportunities he has received with the franchise. Ultimately, he said, “Whatever the show wants to do. We’ll see what comes along in the future.”

At the same time, Ballas noted, “I also do love creating and choreographing and the musical side of it. That’s kind of my favorite part — is being able to use my imagination to help bring things to life.” Given that, solely judging may not be quite enough for Ballas.

In addition to his years with Dancing with the Stars as a pro and sometimes as a guest judge, Ballas also did Season 4 of The Traitors. He joined his Season 34 partner Whitney Leavitt on Broadway for a short stint in Chicago, and he recently returned for another short run of shows.

As fans may remember, Ballas is also a musician, creating and performing with his wife, BC Jean, under the band name Alexander Jean.

Will Ballas be a pro for Dancing with the Stars Season 35 or will he be moving on to other projects? Rumors haven’t ramped up in full for the upcoming season quite yet, but fans will be eager to find out whether or not Ballas returns.